- Battery-powered turntables for home and mobile listening
- DJ-focused Play turntable features filters and loops
- More premium versions have tube preamps
Korg announces a trio of very unusual vinyl turntables to take anywhere. The new Handytraxx range can run on AA batteries as well as a power outlet, and includes built-in speakers for music on the go. But they are not toys. They are designed for DJs and serious music fans, like the best turntables.
There are three models and a few models in the Handytraxx range. There’s the Play, designed for mobile DJing; the Tube, which comes with a tube preamp for a warmer sound and can turn your vinyl records into digital files; and 1bit, which offers enhanced digital recording. There is also a limited edition Tube in collaboration with Japanese cartridge company JICO.
Korg Handytraxx turntables: portability, power and price
The Handytraxx are a sort of homage to a homage; they are inspired by the Vestax Handy Trax portable vinyl turntable from the early 2000s, which in turn took inspiration from the portable players of the 1960s and 1970s and found favor with DJs.
Each model is designed to be extremely portable, with the Play as the entry-level model and the Tube 1-bit and Limited Edition as the high-end options.
The main difference between the models is that the Play is much more focused on DJ functionality: it has a high-quality “scratch-optimized” fader, built-in effects and a live looper. The Tube and 1bit remove this hardware and instead install a Nutube vacuum tube preamp.
The Tube offers 16-bit, 44.1kHz/48kHz output via USB and the 1-bit also offers 5.6MHz DSD and 192kHz, 24-bit PCM scanning, creating audio files that you can then use on the 1 bit or one of the best high quality systems. -res audio players.
The new Handytraxx turntables start at $399/£359 for the Play, $799/£699 for the Tube, $999/£919 for the i1bit and $1,199/£1,099 for the limited edition Tube J. Australian prices have not been announced but are expected to be between AU$640 and AU$1,925.
